Prefabricated roof structure



Jan. 4, 1966 R. s. GREGOIRE PREFABRIGATED ROOF STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 17,1962 f-la /f FKLZ INVENTOR. KESTR S GREGOIKE.

BY I

Am 1 cy 3,226,907 Patented Jan. 4, 1966 United States Patent Office Thepresent invention relates to rigid prefabricated shelters or enclosuresfor industrial, commercial, agricultural or private uses, and moreparticularly to the novel roof support beams which are adaptable toserve also as rain gutters, air ducts or recessed lighting fixtures.

The object of this invention is to build prefabricated quonset typeshelters or enclosures using a minimum of standard size parts for avariety of sizes of shelters or enclosures, which may be easily puttogether at the site, without requiring the usual tools and accessories.

A further object is to make arched roof support beams and formed sheetpanel strips having complementary self locking and sealing edges forassembly over the beams, starting at the bottom of one side of thearched roof and going up over the top and down to the bottom of theother side.

A further object is to provide a beam structure which is adaptable toserve as a gutter or a duct as well as a roof support when arched in onedirection, or as a recess for recessed lighting when arched in theopposite direction to the desired roof conformation.

A further object is to make an extrusion for support beams having agenerally V-shaped cross section with base flanges extendinghorizontally in opposite directions from the bottom of the V andvertically in both directions from the end of each leg of the V.

Other and more specific objects will appear in the following descriptionof a preferred form of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a quonset type hut partly broken away toshow the arrangement of the roof support beams,

FIG. 2 illustrates the use of the beam as a rain gutter while supportingthe adjacent edges of two roof sections,

FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the beam as an air duct besides supportingthe roof, and

FIG. 4 illustrates its use in inverted position to provide a recess 'forrecessed lighting fixtures.

In order to quickly set up a shelter or hut, it has been customary touse poles or other framework and stretch a sheet of canvas or otherflexible material over it. For large structures, it becomes quite aproblem to build a reasonably strong and windproof structure.

The present invention provides a panel structure for the roof and walls12 that may be easily assembled over a simple framework comprising aplurality of suitably arched beams 14, and 16, formed from light metalextrusions and suitably arranged along the length of the structure toprovide rain gutters, lighting fixture recesses and air ducts, ifdesired.

The panel structure may be of the type defined in my pendingapplications SN. 194,339 filed May 14, 1962, for Panel and 'Joint, whichcomprises panel strips having interlocking edges that form sealed jointswhen joined edge to edge in assembling the panel structure over thearched beams 14, 15 and 16 to form the roof 10 and across the ends toform end walls 12. The panel strips for the roof are pre-cut to astandard length corresponding to the distance at which the rain gutterbeams 14 are spaced, in order to support the ends of the roof panelsection between them by their inner flanges with respect to said panelsection.

The panel strips for the end walls are pre-cut to the form of thecorresponding parts of the end walls, so that no fitting or cutting isnecessary at the site of the assembly.

Thus, the assembly is easy and quick, requiring no accessory parts ortools, and may be carried out by inexperience'd hands with the aid of afew simple instructions on how to interlock the complementary edges ofthe panel strips, and how to space the beams 14, 15 and 16, and how tofasten the panel sections by interlocking with the support beams.

The air duct beams 15 may be spaced half-way between the beams 14, andthe recess beams 16 may be spaced half-way between the beam 15 and eachof the adjacent beams 14 as shown in FIG. 1.

Several different sizes and shapes of arched beams 14, 15 and 16 may beprefabricated and several ditferen-t sizes and types of panel strips maybe made and pre-cut to suit different requirements.

The roof structure shown comprises two sections in length, but it may beextended Whenever desired, by adding as many sections as may be requiredat either or both ends of this structure.

The support beams have a common V section webbing with a double flange18 extending in opposite directions from the apex of the V. The edges offlanges 18 may be provided with reenforcing upwardly turned ridges 20.Similarly opposed flanges 22 extend normally to the base flange 18 fromthe upper end of each of the legs of the V.

The upper edges of flanges 22 in the gutter beams and air duct beam-sform the support bearings for the root panel section, but in the recessbeams 16 the base flanges provide this support bearing.

The beams 15 has distribution openings 24 in the sides of the duct forventilation or heating or cooling or conditioning, depending on theservice and purpose of the air supply.

The recess beam 16 may have a light bulb 26 and fixture 28 mounted inthe V and a diffusing lens or grid 30 mounted'over the recess by springclips 32 or by any other means.

Many obvious modifications in the form and details of the essentialparts of this structure may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A support beam of constant V-shaped cross-sectional form having greatstrength and adaptability to provide other functions besides that of asupport structure,

said cross-section having straight sides with base flanges extendingfrom the point of the V to both sides thereof, and

the outer ends of the sides of the V being turned outwardly, and

a pair of parallel flanges extending in both directions from said outerends of the sides of the V normally with respect to said base flanges.

2. A beam as defined in claim 1, said base flanges extending to bothsides of said V having upwardly extending "ridges at their outer edges.

being spaced apart at least as much as said upwardly extending ridges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1926 Snyder32-738 8/1926 Gersman 52635 5/ 1927 Bauero 24950 6/1930 White 52-6945/1934 P-fiueger 240-9 1/1953 Kolb 240--5l.11 X 6/ 1954 MacDonald 2409 r,4 6/1956 Wavell i.. 240-2 4/1959 Sherron 240-2 FOREIGN PATENTS1,192,661 10/1959 France. 1,281,951 12/1961 France.

Examiners.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, G. I. CHANDLER, L. R.

RADANOVIC, Assistant Examiners.

1. A SUPPORT BEAM OF CONSTANT V-SHAPED CROSS-SECTIONAL FORM HAVING GREATSTRENGTH AND ADAPTABILITY TO PROVIDE OTHER FUNCTIONS BESIDES THAT OF ASUPPORT STRUCTURE, SAID CROSS-SECTION HAVING STRAIGHT SIDES WITH BASEFLANGES EXTENDING FROM THE POINT OF THE V TO BOTH SIDES THEREOF, AND